After having apprenticed at Triplesix for only 2 months, I have become aware more of methods I need to practice to improve my drawing skills more than I had recognised in my whole freelance career. Though repetition of specific drawing styles may lead to improved technical ability and craftsmanship, there is little room for creative growth through repetition alone. To advance, it’s necessary to get uncomfortable.
 
The times I have tried out new techniques prior to my apprenticeship have generally been through digital means, with the comfort of the ‘cmd + z’ command on Photoshop to undo my errors. Following such methods don’t allow for advancement beyond what I am already capable of. The apprenticeship tasks appear to have forced me to push myself into uncomfortable territory, tackling areas of my work that may have been overlooked, and tightening the overall compositions simultaneously. In yoga, each asana is performed in perfect form when every element of the body is consciously considered. The same principles of awareness are applicable to illustration, design, and tattoo’s.
 
My first visual task assigned was to replicate a horror-themed image of Frankensteins monster, pictured below. Bez, the founder of Triplesix made it explicit that it was an exercise in viewing and in tonal work, and not an exercise in drawing/illustrating. The image was selected due to it’s high amounts of contrasting tonal values, which in tattooing are broken down into darks, mid-tones, and highlights.​

The process involved creating a stencil of the image outlines, before filling in all of the darker tones, then moving on the varying midtones, with the highlights mostly consisting of negative space. As Bez had forecasted, I found myself approaching the exercise simply as a drawing through ingrained muscle memory, spending more time on small sections at a time than I realised I should have been. The temptation is to utilise methods that are comfortable and familiar, and so to avoid this I was advised to break the image down into small sections, disregarding the image as a whole and approaching it merely as tonal rectangles.
 
The exercise was completed using pencil, which is a medium I utilise occasionally but in a somewhat restrictively stylized way. This method involved performing multiple passes of the graphite across sections that had already touched, building up tone in passes in a way that may be comparable to tattooing. After taking some time to complete the task (the result of which is shown below), being rather precious in the process, I showed it to Bez for feedback.
 
A lesson that I hadn’t quite anticipated learning during this exercise but was reminded of was to be thick-skinned, and that constructive feedback may be difficult but is essential for growth; as stated earlier, growth comes from discomfort. Bez broke down my errors bit by bit, highlighting my lack of midtones in the image, pointing out how I was still creating the image from an interpretive standpoint rather than a literal representation of the reference material. With a pencil in hand, he roughly darkened down all the areas that where still too light, that I had not had the confidence to touch in fear of destroying my image. Again, I had trouble reconciling that I was completing an exercise, and not a drawing.
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My initial thoughts after the tough-love I received where that my image now looked flat, but I soon realised that it also shared a far greater likeness to the reference than it had prior, and just needed some more work to push the contrasting elements a little further. I spent some time attempting to correct my mistakes, this time with a little less of a delicate hand and a slightly less concern for the result appearing perfect. I found this approach to allow me to relax more into the process, and noticed myself deriving enjoyment from the task rather than feeling the anxiety about completing it correctly that I previously experienced. Not being as concerned about the final result allowed for a more recreational approach, as opposed to that of a work task.
 
Though certainly still very far from perfect, the finished result appears to have a more accurate aesthetic and greater textural properties than what I would have achieved had I not had the advice of a mentor. Though I have experience in teaching illustration to undergraduate students, my specialism is in conceptual development and encouraging lateral approaches to creativity. The specific practice of actual drawing techniques is something that I have not directly addressed for some time, but is crucial to advance to better communicate concepts. This first task of my apprenticeship has been a beneficial initiation back into studentship, from which I have a lot to learn. 
 

Through a combination of good fortune, persistence, and resistance to submitting to the typical 9 - 5 working life, i managed to secure a position at Triplesix Studios​ in Sunderland that began in May 2017.

Triplesix is recognised internationally as an award winning tattoo studio founded by the Richard Beston (or 'Bez') - a highly respected artists and product designer within the tattoo community. In addition to his prolific tattoo ability, Bez has created tattoo education DVD's, and his own tattoo machine product machine titled 'ego'. The studio hosts an array of high quality permanent artists, each with their own specialism, and regularly invites both international and national guest artists to tattoo in the additional booths that are available. In short, with the combined years of experience from all potential mentors employed, and the oversight of an innovator within the field, Triplesix seems the perfect studio in which to gain a high-quality apprenticeship and introduction to the tattoo industry. 

My apprenticeship began on the 19th of May, and my initial introduction into the studio mainly involved gaining an understanding of the booking system for appointments, shadowing artists while asking questions about their processes, and ensuring high standards of hygiene (or less formally articulated - cleaning). Though still in the early stages of the apprenticeship at the time of writing, it feels fair to suggest through retrospective evaluation that the first month is about demonstrating a sincere and authentic desire to learn about the discipline. This is achieved through a combination of positive attitude, willingness to learn, and evidence of appreciation of the rare opportunity that has been given.

A few examples of the not particularly creatively stimulating, yet necessary tasks include tearing rolls of kitchen towels into individual sheets that are used during the tattoo process to wipe away blood etc from the tattooed areas, deep cleaning artists booths - including the underside of the tattoo beds and inside drawers etc (which often have very stubborn ink stains), and sanitising the walls and floor with alcohol wipes and dettol fluid, going to the shop to stock up on baby wipes, cling film, vaseline, etc. Though these tasks may appear menial and not directly relevant to my career as a tattooist, they serve as a demonstration of my willingness to be in the studio, and my intuitive understanding when of the  practise of  good hygiene - both of which are integral traits of a tattoo studio that are perhaps valued higher at the early stages of an apprenticeship than actual ability. I personally regard it as a justifiable form of payment to the studio for the education which i will be given, that will result in my career stability and artistic progress generally. When compared to the accumulated debt typically incurred through academic education, cleaning toilets for a few months is not too high of a price to pay.

In addition to the less glamorous admin and hygiene tasks undertaken, shadowing artists and asking questions about their process is also a crucial aspect of the apprenticeship. As mentioned, Triplesix hosts a number of high quality artists with their own specialisms, who all work in unique ways. While initially I found the lack of certainty of structure intimidating in it's ambiguity, I came to recognise it as a liberating insight into how open-ended the discipline can be, and what can be offered from various technical approaches. Having come from a background where i have some experience working professionally as an illustrator and teaching Illustration and Design to undergraduate students, i thought that i may in an advantageous position through experience, however the level of expertise amongst me made it apparent that i am only in the very early stages of my career as a visual artist/designer.

This blog will aim to record my journey from apprentice through to tattooist, commenting on any inspirations, observations, questions, and findings that occur in the process. In addition to my apprenticeship, from October 2017 i will be undergoing part-time PhD research that investigates how multidisciplinary design process and cross-cultural influences may enrich contemporary tattooing and demonstrate it's relevance as a design discipline in the wider design and art community. The blog will also offer a platform to express my research journey and unite my academic and creative practice.